The Reaction
by SilverclawRose
Summary: Set after X2 Its been nearly 2 months since Alkali Lake, and things are slowly returning to normal at the School. But Kurt and Scott suddenly begin to lose control. When Mystique shows up asking for help, they know something is wrong...to be finished late
1. Chapter One: The Invitation

The Reaction  
  
Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews! Sorry the last chapter was a bit dull (I don't like writting non-action/emotion chapters) but the 5th one will be COOL, and hopefully up tonight. Actually, I'm feeling a little ill (I've got a headache & I'm kinda dizzy...) so if I can't get the 5th up tonight, it'll be up tomorow. But I'll do my best to get it up today! 'Cause it'll be fun to write! I love you all!!!!!  
  
Authors note: Ok, I tried writting Kurt's dialouge, but people told me it'd be easiler just to leave it out. And I'm a slave to my readers ::bows:: as you wish! It'll be easier for me, too. So just use your imagination when you read Nightcrawlers dialouge, thanks! (I'm still gonna make all w's into v's)  
  
This is my first X-men fic...I suppose that's enough of a warning. It based on the movies (since I haven't read the comics). I'm gonna update often, since I want to actually finish a fic that I start. Anyway, PLEASE review (that's the biggest thing that influences me to update) I'll take flames, I'm that desperate for reviews. But I prefer constructive critisim or ::gasp:: even praise, if I write anything worth it! If you haven't seen the 2nd movie (or don't know what happened) then DON'T READ. Go see the movie. Now. Then come back and read this ^__^  
  
Summary: It's been nearly 2 months since Alkali Lake, and things are slowly returning to normal at the School. But Kurt and Scott suddenly begin to lose control. When Mystique shows up asking for help, they know something is wrong...*X2 spoilers!*  
  
Copyright: Do I really need to? Is anyone gunna sue me?? Gah...fine. I don't own the X-men. Legally. But in my head, Kurt is all miiiiiine.....But I'll share, don't worry!  
  
CHAPTER ONE: THE INVITATION  
  
Things has slowly been going back to normal at the school. Broken windows had been repared, the flooded hallway had been drained. Classes had resumed, and the students fears of another attack were slowly fadding into memory. Ororo placed her books down on the oak desk as her students ran out the door. She'd been fighting hard not to let her sorrow show, but it wasn't easy. Every time she stepped into the halls she expected to see her red-haired friend there. And she never was. But she had to be strong, for the others. Both Logan and Scott hardly spoke and their faces were constantly like stone. Ororo could hear both of them crying at night in their own rooms, though neither of them would ever admit it. It was for their sake that she never did. Tears were always threatening in her eyes, but she never let them pass. She was afraid that if she broke, so would everyone else.  
  
Kurt poked his head through the open doorway. "Hello, Storm." he said quietly. She straightend up suddenly and turned away, wiping her eyes.   
  
"Kurt. I didn't hear you comming" she said, turning back to him. He looked at the floor a little ashamed.   
  
"I didn't mean to startle you..."   
  
"No, it's fine" she added quickly, motioning him over. He seemed nervous, glancing from side to side when he walked towards her. He'd been rather quiet since his arrival at the school, but Ororo had been too busy with both her own classes and Jean's classes to notice. The professor had given him a room to himself, which Kurt spent much of his time in.   
  
"Is everything alright?" she questioned. Kurt nodded quickly, taking a seat next to her on her desk.   
  
"Yes, everyone has been very generous to me." he said in his German accent. He seemed to be contemplating what to say next. "Storm, are there any churches near here?" She glanced at him, her gaze unwittingly moving down towards his misshappen hands and pointed tail draped over the edge of the desk.   
  
"Kurt, I'm not sure that you should..."   
  
"Oh, I vouldn't vant to attend a service or anything...but it vould be nice to visit one, in the night. Vhen there's no one there." He looked down again, a little saddly. Ororo felt pity for him. All mutants were shunned from the outside world once they discovered their powers. But they could at least walk amoung humans, undetected. Kurt had probably never known what it was like to be one in the crowd, with his demon-like form and dark blue skin. She thought back to his first conversation with her, when they brought him from the church in Boston.   
  
"Sometimes anger can help you to survive" she'd said, with thoughts of her past. Humans who'd hurt her, called her names, treated her like dirt. But he'd only stared into her eyes saddly.  
  
"So can faith..."  
  
She gently picked up one of his three fingered hands as he looked at her in astonishment . "You know what, Kurt? You can go to a church. In the daytime, and I'll go with you." His eyes widened.   
  
"Really? But I can't..."   
  
"Yes you can" she interupted. "We'll just have to make sure no one sees your face or hands. But we'll go. I think it'll be good for me to get out of here, even just for a little while." He still looked a little peturbed, but then a smile broke out on his face   
  
"It vould be lovely to hear the organ music and the psalms again...I've never seen a service from the ground. I alvays vatched from the rafters." Storm smiled back, and gently squeezed his hand.   
  
"You shouldn't have to." Their eyes met for a moment, before Kurt turned away and hopped off the desk, embarassed.   
  
"Vell, I'll see you tomorow then." He kissed her hand gently. "Danka schön" he whispered, before disapearing in a puff of oily blue smoke.   
  
Ororo got up and shook her head. She considered asking Scott or Logan to go with them, but quickly dismissed the idea. Scott was far too deep in mourning, he wouldn't go anywhere near a place of worship. Logan was far too gruff to go to church. The thought of him sitting in a pew and smoking his cigar made her chuckle. She'd never believed in faith, but it couldn't hurt to see, and keep Kurt company. After all, he deserved a chance to be one in the crowd. Even if it was just for a morning  
  
Do you love it? Hate it? Have sugestions? I PROMISE the next chapter is better!!! Please review! 


	2. Chapter Two: The Changes Begin

CHAPTER 2: THE CHANGES BEGIN  
  
Kurt sat perched atop his small bed, grasping his rosary beads and cross, eyes closed reverently. He was saying a rapid prayer in German, shifting his weight from one foot to another. Finally he stopped in mid-sentence, his golden eyes opening. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He couldn't concentrate at all, his mind just wouldn't calm itself. His vision was a little fuzzy as he looked around his room. The walls were adorned with his circus posters, and he'd hung a few crosses up. There was a lit candle on his desk, around which he usually placed his prayer beads. Besides that, the room was plain. Wooden floors, a large window looking out over the nearby forest. Suddenly everything seemed to tilt, and Kurt fell back against his wall as a wave of nasuea washed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut and disapeared with a small 'popping' sound, reappearing outside a second later. A cool breeze swept over his face, blowing away the feeling of vertigo. "Ahh...that is better." A rustle in the bushes to his left caused him to teleport onto a tree branch directly above him. He peered through the foliage, only to see Scott slowly walk into the clearing. Kurt nimbly lept down with a sigh of relief.  
  
"Kurt! Geez, you scared me." Scott grumbled, looking through his red glasses. Kurt only smiled.  
  
"You scared me too, my friend. Vhat brings you out here?" Kurt could guess what had brought Scott outside...He was still suffering his loss of Jean, though over the past few days he'd slowly been improving. Not that the improvements were much, but he was at least eatting his meals in the dinning hall again, rather than alone in his room. Scott heaved a large sigh.   
  
"I just needed some fresh air, that's all. And you?" Kurt could tell from the way Scott was shifting uneasily from foot to foot that he really wanted to be alone, and was just being polite.   
  
"The same. But I think I'll go to bed early tonight. Gute nacht." And with that, he disapeared. Scott sat down on the weather-beaten bench. Every day all he could see was her face, all he could hear was her voice. All he could feel was the place in his heart that she'd left empty. He put his hand to his chest and grasped his denim jacket. He missed her so much, and it hurt so much...wait. That wasn't just his grief, he could feel physical pain in his chest. Suddenly he was out of breath, and gasping slightly. The back of his neck began to burn, and everything became distorted. He rocked back and forth, his head spinning. What was happening? He couldn't see...he couldn't breathe...then suddenly everything went black.  
  
At the same time, Kurt had just appeared on his bed again when he was swept with the same ill-feeling as earlier. He curled up on his bed, clutching his prayer beads as he struggled to breathe. His neck had a large purplish rash on it. Just as he was about to teleport away...somewhere else, he didn't know where, anywhere...everything went black.   
  
~*~*~Oooohh...cliffhanger! Sorry it was so short, I'll post the next chapter tomorow, I promise it's better. PLEASE review. Thankies!!!!  
  
Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! To the people who asked me to read their stories, I sure will (as soon as I get a bit of extra time) and I'll be sure to review! Ok, over the next two chapters the main plot will be revealed, so please read, review, and enjoy! ^_^ 


	3. Chapter Three: The Possession

CHAPTER 3: THE POSSESSION  
  
A gentle knocking sound woke Kurt up. He sat up slowly, squinting in the bright morning daylight. For a moment he didn't know where he was...his head felt funny. Then he remembered the night before, the strange attack he'd had. The knocking came again.  
  
"Kurt?" A soft voice called from the hallway. "Are you awake? It's time to go, if we don't want to be late." Kurt teleported to the hallway, startling Storm. "Kurt! Here, this is for you. I wish you didn't need to wear it, but..."  
  
"I don't mind. Danka schön." She handed him a bundle of folded clothes, including a very long black coat, pants long enough to cover his feet, and a wide-brimmed black hat.  
  
" As for your face, I think that if you just keep the brim down, no one will notice" she said with a smile. Kurt's expression remained troubled, and Ororo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kurt, is everything alright?" She seemed so concerned, and oh, he hated to see her upset. He quickly put on a small smile.  
  
"No, everything is fine." What was the use of worrying her further? Besides, the rash was gone, and he felt fine. It was probably just a passing illness. "You look lovely today, Storm" he said in his German accent. She glanced down at her long black dress, which hung off her shoulders and drapped down her arms. She hadn't worn anything but black since Alkali Lake. She answered his compliment with a smile that made his knees weak.   
  
"Let's get going, we'll take my car."   
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Scott's eyes fluttered open behind his red glasses. He was sprawled out across the bench, and his neck was stiff from having it at an odd angle. He passed a hand to his forehead as a sensation not unlike a hangover washed over him. Birds were singing loudly in the branches overhead, and he could hear the comotion of students coming down to breakfast in the dinning hall behind him. He didn't remember much about what happened, only that he couldn't breathe. His hand wandered to the back of his neck, which seemed to be tingling and warm. He stood up shakily and wandered inside, deciding to worry about his strange episode after he got some food.  
  
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The pilliars of the cathedral soared high above the two mutant's heads. Inwardly Strom was cringing. She really didn't like church, she never had. But the look of wonder on Kurt's face made it worthwhile. There were maybe a hundred humans filing up the granite steps through the huge oaken doors, all of them dressed in suits and dresses. She couldn't help but smile when two little girls ran by her, laughing and skipping. They waited untill everyone else was already seated before going in. Kurt unconscuiously pulled his hat lower over his face. They stood at the back of the church next to one of the pilliars and waited for priest to arrive. The people were talking quietly among themselves, and Ororo couldn't help but listen in curiosity.  
  
"Well, all I did was ask him to clean his room before he left, and he just didn't listen!"  
  
"Really? Oh, but your son was always such a good boy. I suppose now that he's a teenager things will change. Why, just the other day Julie came home, and you'll never believe what she'd done."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She'd gotten her hair dyed! Her beautiful brown hair, and she just went and dyed it bright red! I swear, I don't know what's gotten into her."  
  
Storm shook her head in annoyance. These people were so set in their ways, so old-fashioned. It was no wonder most mutants tried to keep their powers a secret from their families. Poor Bobby Drake had just told his parents of his gifts, and they'd called the police. The police! On their own son! If only these people could understand....She was shaken out of her thoughts by the loud sound of an organ. The minister had walked in, and the entire congration stood up in one motion. When he got to his podium, they all sat down and the organ died away.   
  
"We'll start out today's service with a hymn from your prayer books. If you'd please open up to page 172..."  
  
Storm didn't sing, but she was surprised to hear Kurt singing along with the churchgoers under his breath in his heavy accent, even though he didn't have a book to look at. She glanced at his face hidden under the hat. He seemed so content, listening to the minister's words. His golden eyes were shinning like they did when she'd first met him, when he told them about the circus. Personally, she thought it was awful, how they put him on display like that. But Kurt obviously hadn't minded. If he had, they wouldn't have been able to stop him from leaving. Maybe he hadn't had anywhere else to go. Kurt was running his thumb absentmindly over his rosary while the minster spoke about God's eternal love and forgiving to all his creatures, large and small, good and bad. Ororo just sighed, deep in though.  
  
The choir began to sing a beautiful prayer, and Kurt couldn't help but smile. His bright white fangs gleamed against his dark blue face. Storm's face softened. It'd been a long time since she'd seen someone so happy, and no one deserved it more than Kurt. The voices of the choir rose up to the rafters, shining and clear in their praise. Kurt heaved a deep sigh, drinking it all in.   
  
Suddenly he wobbled, and reached out to the pilliar for support.   
  
"Kurt? What's wrong?" Ororo whispered urgently. She watched he began to tremble violently. "Kurt?" She reached out and hand to steady him, and he colasped to his knees. The choir stopped their singing at the sound of his fall, and every face turned around to look at them. Storm flashed a nervous smile before bending over Kurt. "What's happening?" she whispered urgently. She tried to place herself between the prying eyes of the church and Nightcrawler, so that they wouldn't see his misshappen hands clutching at his head. He looked at her from under his hat with a panicked expression on his face.  
  
"I...I don't know..." he whispered. Something strange was happening, there was a red rim around his normally golden eyes. His trembling became violent, and he gasped for air. "I can't...control...wir mussen gehe..." Suddenly he screamed out, a horrible rage-filled roar. The people in the church began to scream, and the ones sitting in the pews nearest to them quickly scrambled to get away. He jumped off the ground, suddenly full of energy. His hat fell off, allowing everyone a good look at his face. Storm looked wildly around the room of screaming people, not sure what to do. Kurt bared his fangs and bellowed another deafening animal-like screech before turning and practically throwing himself outside. Storm ran afterhim, ignoring the panicked cries of the congragation. Out on the pavement, he stumbled and struggled to get up. She grabbed him by the shoulders and half-ran with him leaning on her towards the car. He colapsed onto the back seat, sweating and panting. His face was abnormally pale under his blue skin, and cold to the touch. Ororo jumped in to the drivers seat, ignorning the speed limit.   
  
"Kurt, can you hear me?" she asked, glancing at him every second or so in the rearview miror. He nodded weakly and continued to shake.  
  
"Sorry...I am...sorry...can't....see.." he managed to get out between shuddering breaths. He began to convulse, like he was having seizures. Storm quickly switched on the cell phone connected to the school   
  
"Professor? Professor it's me, are you there?" For a moment, nothing was heard. Then a young girls voice came over the small speaker.  
  
"Storm? Is that you? You've got to get here fast, Scott's lost control!" Rouge said panicked. "The professor just want to stop him, he's just firing at everything!"  
  
"Rogue, there's something wrong with Kurt too. I'm bringing him back as fast as I can, make sure someone's at the door to get him. " She ordered, trying to sound calm. Rogue agreed and hung up to find someone. Storm kept one eye on Kurt the whole time, as his shaking and gasps of breath continued. Oily blue smoke began to steam around his form, and it was almost as if he were a picture on a fuzzy television, flicking in and out of clarity. "Kurt? Kurt, try to hang on..."  
  
"I can't...I can't..." he whispered. He was having trouble keeping his body in one place, and she knew his teleporting abilities were begining to go haywire. But she told him to hang on over and over, hoping the sound of her voice would help him concentrate. If he teleported, there was no way to tell where he'd end up. She felt numb with fear; everything was going wrong. As she tried to control her panic it began to hail lightly. She mentally slapped herself. This was no time to lose her head, she had to focus and get Kurt back to the safety of the mansion. The hail stopped as suddenly as it had begun, and she sped on towards the school.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ What will happen?!?! I hope everyone liked this chapter! Wir mussen gehe means 'we must go'. Oh, and I really don't know anything about religious rituials, I'm not sure if the religion that Kurt follows uses prayer books or choirs, so please no flames about that. I tried not to write any really conterversal religious things, and if I somehow inadvertantly upset someone with something I wrote, I'm very sorry. Just covering all the bases here! Please please PLEASE review, and thanks so much for reading! Next chapter to come soon! Sometime today! 


	4. Chapter Four: The Return

CHAPTER 4: THE RETURN  
  
Authors note: Due to a few requests, I've fixed this chapter to make it more descriptive and longer. I just hope it doesn't sound like I'm dragging things on, but I thought I'd give it a try. It's still a bit short, so I'll try to make chapter 5 longer (it'll be posted asap) If you already read this chapter, you might want to re-read it, since it's kinda different now. Danka!  
  
Logan was straining to control a raging Scott, by pinning his arms to his back from behind. The tables around him had been burned to cinders, and the students stood in a horrified huddle at the far end of the dining hall. Scott writhed to get out of Logan's grasp with a terrifying scream of hatred, causing the students to cower even further. These weren't normal kids, though. Some of them probably had the power to destroy a building, but none of them would make a move to help Logan. They couldn't attack Scott, he was their teacher, their mentor. Bobby was trying desperately to get a clear shot at Scott to slow him down, but the out-of control man was flailing around too much. Bobby didn't want to hit Logan with a stream of ice. At that moment Rogue ran into the room, followed closely by the Professor.  
  
"Bobby, leave this to me. Go wait out front for Storm, she'll need your help. It appears Kurt is suffering from the same affliction as Scott Everyone else, go to your rooms now." he ordered calmly. The students didn't hesitate to obey; they all ran for the door in owe-struck silence. Professor wheeled in front of Scott, who continued to try and break free from Logan.  
  
"Scott, try to regain control of yourself. We are your friends, not your enemies." the Professor reasoned calmly. But Cyclops didn't seem to listen, he just began to try and throw Logan from his back with even more savage fury.  
  
"I don't know what the hell's the matter with him. One second he's sittin' at the table, the next he's zapping everything in sight. I think he's snapped Professor...omph!" Logan doubled over in pain as Scott elbowed him hard in the stomach. Scott immediatley spun around and locked his gaze on the wheelchair-bound man before hi,m. He raised his hand to his visor and was about to fire a beam when everything just stopped. Scott was frozen in place, a chair that had been falling remained poised in mid-air, even the dust particles had stopped swirling in the sunlight. Only Logan continued to move, as he coughed a few times and straightened up with a grimace. He glanced at the man next to him and growled.  
  
"That's a pretty handy trick, Chuck. Damn. Look at his neck." Logan said, stepping closer to the still man. The Professor wheeled over behind Scott and examined his neck. The veins were practically popping out, and there was a large purple rash spreading from the nape of his neck all the way to his chin. Xavior nodded, deep in thought.   
  
"Logan, I believe that these strange episodes that both Kurt and Scott are suffering from have something to do with the mind-control substance which Dr. Stryker used on them. Not onlt do they lose control of their powers, but their personalities and memories seem altered. "   
  
"I think 'altered' is the understatement of the century, Professor." He circled his friend warily.  
"It was like he had no clue who we were" he said absently, while trying to pry Scott's hand away from his visor.   
  
"He may very well not have." The Professor replied. He wheeled in front of Scott again, considering. "I'm not sure what this strange side-affect is, or how long it will last. But until we can figure it out, we must prevent him from causing harm to us or himself." The Professor heaved a small sigh. "It won't be easy to discover the cause, not without any of the information we need. It was all distroyed when the dam flooded the base. Perhaps if I can get Ororo to attempt to hack into the computer's memory files..."  
  
"Yeah yeah, we'll deal with that later. In the mean time, how're we gonna keep Deathray here from killing us all?" Logan interupted. Charles Xavior looked up at his frozen pupil in silence.  
  
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Bobby reached the front driveway just as Ororo came speeding up the road and squealed to a stop. She jumped out and ran to the passenger door.  
  
"Bobby, I need you to help me carry him in, he can't walk." she said urgently. Bobby paused in shock at seeing Kurt. He looked half-dead, and was soaked with prespiration. His breath was ragged and shallow, and his body shook violently. Bobby quickly snapped out of it and nodded, placing one of Kurt's arms around his shoulder as Storm did the same. Together, they half dragged the trembling mutant up the stairs and into the mansion. Ororo glanced quickly around in the empty foyer, before steering them in the direction of the infirmary. Their hurried footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallways.  
  
"What happened to him?" Bobby asked quickly.   
  
"I'm not sure. He was fine one second, then the next he couldn't breathe...then he colasped, and when I tried to get him up, he freaked out and ran for it." She said breathlessly. The blue smoke around Kurt began to increase, and he began to look almost transparent. "Kurt....Kurt, if you can hear me, try not to teleport. Come on, concentrate. You've got to stay with us." He didn't reply, but the smoke seemed to evaporate slowly and he came back into full focus. Between gasps of breath Storm could hear him muttering incoherently.  
  
"Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. ..."   
  
Ororo's face became more distressed hearing this. She saw the same look reflected on Bobby's face.  
  
"What's he saying?" Bobby questioned, more for the sake of talking than anything else. Storm shook her head saddly and adjusted his arm over her shoulders.   
  
"I think he's praying..." she said. For some reason her voice cracked. "What happened to Scott?" she changed the subject suddenly as they turned down another hallway.  
  
"We'd just come down to breakfast, and he was sitting at a table eating some cereal. He looked totally fine, and then all of a sudden he just started shaking and sweating, and then he jumped up and started shooting at the kids!" Ororo couldn't hold back a gasp of utter shock. No, it couldn't be. This was Scott they were talking about, he'd never try to hurt the students! She glanced down at Nightcrawler, and took a sharp intake of breath. His eyes...they were almost totally red, with just a few flecks of his normal gold.   
  
"Bobby, I think we need to hurry..." Right as the words came out of her mouth, Kurt suddenly snapped his head up, as if he'd been in a daze. In one motion he kicked Bobby aside and threw Ororo into a wall with amazing strength. He bared his fangs and snarled visciously, like an animal cornered in a cage, before turning around to face her. She hit the wall with a sickening 'thud' and slid to the floor, dazed. With an evil grin he stepped up to her crumpled form and raised his clawed hand to strike. She tried to focus her eyes and call a bolt of lightening, but all she could see was his face. His face, so demon-like with eyes aflame and a sneer of murderous hatred. Just as he was about to strike her a wave of frost crawled up his arm, freezing him in ice. Bobby cautiously walked up behind him, palm rasied. Kurt shuddered, his eyes rolling back up itno his head before he crumpled to the floor. After being sure that he wasn't moving, Bobby rushed over to Storm's side.  
  
"Ororo...are you alright?" he questioned. He helped her to her feet as she shook her head.  
  
"Yes...I'm fine. Just a bump, that's all." She took a deep breath and stepped cautiously towards Kurt, whose entire body was layered in a thin case of ice. He was sprawled on the ground, breathing in tiny, shallow gasps. "If we don't get him warm quick, his heart will stop beating." she said quietly.  
  
"But he attacked you..."  
  
"He didn't know what he was doing" she replied sharply, more sharply than she'd intended. Her voice softened a bit as she gave Bobby a quick hug. "Thanks. Now quick, go and get the professor, I'll watch him." Bobby turned to run off, but paused and looked back at the white-haired mutant.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright? You hit the wall pretty hard, and he might wake up again..."  
  
Storm smiled reasuringly and nodded as she sat down next to Kurt's frozen form. "Don't worry, I can take care of it. Besides, he doesn't look like he'll be getting up too quickly..." She reached out a hand to gingerly stroke his shuddering back. Bobby ran off around the corner, and his footsteps quickly died away. Ororo strained to hear something, but it was like the mansion had been abandoned. Her head snapped around as she heard someone banging violently on the front door, and a man's voice yelling outside.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* I know, really bad place to stop. I spent all day thinking about how this chapter should go, and I hope you liked how it turned out. Oh, the thing Nightcrawler says in German is "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..."  
Once again, please please please review! I'm planning on having the next chapter up sometime today, if all goes according to plan ::evil laugh:: Watch for Mystique's first appearance in the story next chapter! 


	5. Chapter Five: The Visitor

CHAPTER 5: THE VISITOR  
  
The banging began to grow more violent, until it sounded like the man outside would break down the door. Ororo glanced at Kurt, unsure weither or not to leave him unguarded. Finally she lept up and sprang for the door at the end of the hallway, wanting to send whoever it was quickly and return to Nightcrawler before he could wake up. She threw open the door breathlessly. On the front stair stood a portly little man, with thinning grey hair and a Federal Express uniform. Behind him on the driveway was one very beat-up looking delivery truck. There were dents everywhere, and the front fender was crumpled beyond reginition.   
  
"Yes, what do you want?" Storm said rudely. She had no time for this, Kurt could die in the time she was wasting here. The man's eyes suddenly changed to a bright yellow color. Storm backed up a step, preparing to call a bolt of lightening should this strange man attack her. The man's spine lengthed, his beer belly disappeared, as did his uniform. His face grew gaunt and feminine, and his legs became shapely and...blue. In only a few seconds the delivery man had metamorphisized into a tall blue woman, whose body was covered in irridesent scales.   
  
"Mystique...." Storm practically spat the name out. "What do you want?" she said with narrowed eyes. Mystique's normally smug expression turned humble and worried. She bit her lip gently and lowered her head, before replying with a nod towards the truck.  
  
"It's Eric...Magneto. I need your help."  
  
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Logan pulled the ropes tight that were wrapped around Scott's wrists, which just made Scott struggle even harder to be free.   
  
"Sorry there, bud. Just 'till you stop trying to deep-fry everything." Logan patted Scott's shoulder before leaving the room. Scott sat tied to a chair in the middle of the room, his goggles removed and his eyes wrapped tightly shut with a bandage. Logan cringed as he heard his friend scream in rage and throw out some choice swears and cusses.   
  
"Well, I never knew our friend had such a colorful vocabulary!" he said with scarcastic enthuasim. The metal door slid shut behind him, leaving poor Scott to shout out his anger alone. The Professor sat waiting just outside, a grave look on his face.  
  
"It saddens me greatly to have to do this...but I supose there's no other way. At least he'll be safe, until Storm can find a cure in the computer's files. Logan, you and I must go fetch Kurt immediately. Ororo's told me that he's fallen gravely ill. We'll need to watch Scott to see if the same thing happens to him."  
  
At that moment Bobby came crashing around the corner, out of breath. He stooped over gasping for air, before straightening up and facing the two other men.  
  
"Professor...Kurt's lost it....he attacked Storm!" Logan immediately ran down the way Bobby had come from, shoving past the boy roughly. He watched his retreating form before turning back to the Professor. "He was about to kill her, Professor" he said quietly. Charles got a faraway look on his face, before looking back to the young man in front of him.   
  
"I know. All of the people who were attacked and given Dr. Stryker's mind control concution are now reacting strangely. I fear it's an unpredicted side-effect of the drugs that were used on them." He paused again, seeming to be listening to someone only he could hear. Bobby nodded, his face fell grave.  
  
"Mystique is here. And she has Magneto with her" he said suddenly. Bobby's eyes opened wide in shock.  
  
"What're they doing here?" he asked. Charles closed his eyes and shook his head.   
  
"It seems we weren't the only ones affected by this..."  
  
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Logan came to an abrupt halt when he saw Storm and Mystique talking in the hallway. Instinctivly he prepared himself for a fight, unsheathing his deadly claws. Storm caught sight of him approaching cautiously behind her, and turned to face him.   
  
"It's alright, she needs our help." she explained quickly. Logan snorted and glared at the blue woman.  
  
"Yeah, so? Why should we help them? All they've ever done is cause trouble" he said with a sneer. Mystique's eyes narrowed as she turned to lock her gaze with Logan's.  
  
"If it wasn't for us, you and every mutant on earth would be dead right now" she hissed. Logan's jaw clenched in barely contained rage.  
  
"If you'd just done what you were suposed to do...if you'd just stopped the Professor without your own damn secret human-hating agenda...Jean might still be alive." Storm swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She'd had the same exact thoughts. Of course, they all had. The "what if's?" that could drive a person insane. Secretely, she'd imagined a scenario where Mystique and Magneto had just saved the Professor. Everyone would have gotten out of the colapsing dam a few minutes sooner...maybe then, she could have gotten them out in time, and Jean wouldn't have had to...  
  
"Logan, you can't always find a person to blame" she said quietly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off angrily before turning to Mystique again.  
  
"So what do you want?" he said after a tense moment. Mystique's face lost it's defensive glare as she motioned to the very pummled-looking delevery truck.  
  
"Eric is in there, there's something wrong with him. He's lost control of his powers. He doesn't seem to remember anything about who he, who I am. He's very sick, and our medical facilities aren't equipt to treat him. I didn't know where else I could take him" she admitted. Logan glanced at Storm, they shared a knowling look.  
  
"What?" Mystique asked, suspicious once again. Logan turned back to the other woman.  
  
"The same thing's happening to Cyclops and Nightcrawler. The Professor thinks it's got something to do with the brain-juice Stryker used to control them. He used it on Magneto, didn't he?"  
  
Mystique's eyes went wide with realization. "Of course...What do we do about it?"   
  
"We've got no damn clue." Logan made a move to walk past her towards the truck, but Storm quickly reached out an arm to stop him.  
  
"Logan, you can't go near him. He'll kill you!" she exclaimed. He raised his hand as his blades retracted back into his gloves.  
  
"Oh yeah..." he said in a weary tone. At that moment Professor Charles wheeled around the corner to join the group. He looked up at Mystique, who met his gaze stone-faced.  
  
"Well, Mystique. I see no one is immune to misfortune. How is my old friend Eric doing?" he commented calmly. Mystique's frown deepened.  
  
"He's dying" she said flatly. The Professor shook his head.  
  
"I wasn't sure how this strage disease would effect him. Well, we can't just leave you standing on the doorstep now that you've come this far. If you could drive Eric around to the back of the school, there's a storage shed I'm having set up to care for him." The Professor paused at Mystique's confused expression.  
  
"You see, our medical facilities are nearly completely metalic, and I'm afraid without the control of his powers Eric will accidentally harm someone." Logan muttered a comment about Magneto's tendancy to 'accidentally' harm people, but the Professor ignored him.   
  
"Ororo, I've set up one of the examination rooms with a physic shield. If you and Logan could take Kurt down there, he'll be prevented from teleporting while in the room. Mystique and I will take Eric down to his new quarters." Logan nodded begridgingly. Rogue came around the corner hurriedly, her red and white hair pinned back in a loose ponytail. She wore white gloves that wrapped up her arms to her elbows, and a plain black tanktop.  
  
"Professor, Bobby said you needed me?" she said in her Southern drawl. Charles gave her a small smile.  
  
"Yes, I believe you know Mystique?" Rogue noticed the woman standing outside for the first time, and she froze in mid-step.   
  
"What....what's she doing here?" she choked. She couldn't keep the contempt from her voice. After all, this was the woman who'd tried to kill her once. The Professor bowed his head slightly.  
  
"I need you to help Mystique and I get Magneto to the wooden storage shed on the back courtyard. He's in need of medical attention, with the same illness as Scott and Kurt." Privately he sent her a message via telepathy. 'That is...if you don't mind. I know you haven't exactly been close to these two, but as a friend I feel obligated to help.' Rogue sighed and nodded slightly, before following Mystique and Charles outside to the truck.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mystique and Rogue were alone in the wooden shed. Well, not quite alone. Magneto lay on a small white bed that'd been set in the corner. Around him had been placed various medical equipment. The only sounds in the silence was Megneto's labored breathing and the beeping of the heart rate monitor. He looked awful; his skin was yellow like parchment and streched tightly across his cheekbones. He eyes had dark circles around them, and his breath rattled in his chest. The Professor had insisted on strapping him to the bed, in case he suddenly went into a violent episode like Kurt and Scott. Mystique was gently dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth, looking at him with a strange tenderness. Rogue stood uncomfortabily behind the two, not sure what to do. She felt a little pity for the weak man laying before her, he looked like anyone's kindly grandfather. But she knew better, she knew what evils this man could do. When she thought back on the day at the Statue of Liberty, when he'd told her that he was going to kill her, it still sent shivers down her spine.   
  
"What'd you do with John?" she asked quietly. Mystique seemed to had forgotten that she wasn't alone. She glanced at the girl over her shoulder.  
  
"Pyro? He wanted to come with us. He know's the right side to be on when the war comes. Do you?" she said icily. Rogue fell silent.  
  
"So...what are you two, an item?" she said suddenly, motioning to Magneto.  
  
"What?" Mystique asked.  
  
"Y'know...are you and him together?" Rogue questioned, this time a little more boldy. Mystique glared at her with brigh t yell ow eyes.   
  
"No" she said flately, in her strangely multi-toned voice. She turned her attention back to Magneto and continued to cool his feverish forehead. Rogue stood there for a few more moments, and was about to leave when she heard Mystique begin to speak softly, almost to herself.  
  
"When I was younger, he took me in. I had nowhere else to go, no one to trust. He taught me the extent of my powers, taught me everything I know. He's like the father I never had." Her shoulders slumped as she spoke. Rogue stepped around to face her, leaning down to catch her eye.  
  
"If anyone can figure out what's wrong with them, it's Storm. Don't worry, the professor will take care of everything." she said. Mystique looked at the girl's bright face, so optimistic.   
  
"I hope you're right..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* I know this was a pretty boring chapter, but the next one will be REALLY cool ::Evil laugh:: And should be up...oh....MAYBE tonight, most likely tomorow. Unfortunately I'm really busy during the week, otherwise I'd finish the next chapter now and post it. But tell me what you thought of this one! I tried to keep everyone in character, but it was tough, since I don't know Rogue or Mystique's personalities very well. Hope you liked it, and I promise the next chapter is reaaaaaly good. Here's a hint: Kurt gets loose ^_^ Review please!! 


	6. Chapter Six: The Escape

CHAPTER SIX: THE ESCAPE  
  
Storm sat at the large computer, her back straight and her face determined. Her fingers flew wildly over the keys, systematically disabling every firewall she encountered. The encrypted files of Alkali Lake finally appeared on the screen. Standing behind Storm was an impatient Logan and a calm Professor. Ororo could be heard muttering to herself.  
  
"System files...weapons files...damn password prompts...strategic plans...ah ha!" she said outloud. "Experimental formulas and studies!" The computer screen turned black as row after row of white typing scrolled onto the screen. Ororo skimmed through it, listing off the code names of secret chemicals the base had been researching for use as weapons. She paused a moment, and began to read one section carefully. Logan tried to read over her shoulder, but all he got from the scientific jargon was something about 'expeimental subjects' and 'inconclusive results'. The professor waited paitently for Ororo to find what she was searching for.  
  
"Here...it says that once the chemicals are removed from the mutant participating in the experiment, they can be made into a powerful mind control acid which has been found effective on many test subjects, both mutant and not." Logan turned away, a pained look on his face. People being treated like lab rats...but they weren't just using mutants anymore, they'd tested their substance on normal people too. It made him sick.   
  
"The chemical compound has been found most effective when injected into the spinal cord located at the back of the subjects neck. An improved formula resulted with an acid which obtained the same properties, yet only had to be placed on the subjects skin to commence. Same body location as earlier formula obtained best results. Tests have shown that the subject is only effected for a maxium of 72 hours per doseage. Current formula is not yet ready for widespread use in military operations due to the following side effects: short duration of effects, memory loss, withdrawl, possible internal organ damage. All test subjects up to date have..." Storm stopped suddenly. Logan, who'd been staring at the wall as he listened, turned around to face her.  
  
"All subjects have what?" he demanded. But Ororo sat frozen in her seat, her hands unmoving on the keyboard, her eyes wide. Professor Xavior turned to Logan with a grim look.  
  
"It says..." he began slowly. "That every test subject had reacted to the chemical after a number of weeks. They all suffered personality changes, memory loss, organ faliure...every test, due to the side-effects of the drugs, resulted in the subject eventually dying."   
  
Ororo's eyes filled with tears as she continued to stare at the screen in disbelief. "No..." she whispered, too quietly to hear. Logan clenched his fists and muttered a few obscenties, as the professor simply looked down at the floor. All of a sudden Logan swung around with a howl of anguish and punched his fist clear through the wall, causing both the professor and Storm to jump. Logan bit his lip fiercely, fighting down the lump in his throat.  
  
"We lost Jean...I'm not gunna sit here and watch them die too." he managed to say in a strangled voice. The Professor took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
"Nor will I, my friend. Ororo, is there anything else the files say?" he questioned. Storm scrolled down the screen, her eyes searching desperately for any other piece of information.   
  
"...It says...it says that they had a scientist working on an antidote for side effects. He was employed to work out of his home. It has all of his personal information, but it says the project is currently incomplete. The last update of their files was 2 months ago..."   
  
"Right before we blew 'em up" Logan interjected. Storm nodded saddly in agreement.  
  
"We shall contact this scientist, and see what he knows. We'll leave tomorow, first thing. For now, I am going to check on Eric's condition. Logan, if you would check Scott, and Storm, if you would check Kurt. I'll inform the students of our trip this afternooon." The professor wheeled out of the room, leaving Logan and Storm alone and disgruntled.  
  
"You've got a thing for that blue guy, don't you?" Logan said suddenly. Ororo snapped her head around in shock.   
  
"What?" she demanded, shutting off the computer with a look of insult.  
  
"You and Creepy Crawler...he's nuts about you, ya know. Or he was, before all this happened." Ororo's look of anger softened, and her gaze fell to the floor.   
  
"You should've seen him in the church...he was so happy..." she said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, he is a wierd one, alright" he answered gruffly. Storm ignored his comment.  
  
"Then when he...when he started to lose it...god, I was just so scared for him. All I could think was 'I can't let him die. Not after Jean, I can't lose him too...." Logan realized with a shock that she was trying to hold back sobs, most unsucessfully. He'd never seen Ororo cry, not once over the past two months. He'd been so wrapped up in his own anguish, he never even noticed how much everyone else was suffering. But Storm had always been the strong one. Akwardly he placed an arm around her shoulder, before drawing her into a tight hug. She gripped his leather coat and fought to keep her tears at bay. After a moment he let her go, and she quickly wiped her eyes.  
  
"We'll find this guy. I promise, we'll find 'em, and we'll save Kurt and Scott. Even Magneto, we'll save him too. Don't worry." he said. She gave him a small smile.  
  
"Thank you, Logan. I'll go check on Kurt now." Logan nodded and headed out the door, leaving Ororo feeling a bit more hopeful than before.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kurt's eyes were glazed over, his face was clammy, his breathing irregular. Ororo wanted to cry out when she first saw him, he looked even worse than earlier. The room that Professor Xavior had set up with a physic shield was grey and windowless, with only a bed, a small nightstand, and a door leading to a tiny bathroom, which was also nearly bare. She sat in a chair next to his bed, a bowl of water and a cloth on her lap. Like Magneto, he'd been strapped to his cot, in case he should go into another rampage. Scott was in slightly better condition. He was strapped to a chair, and he didn't show much sign of illness. But Scott was acting like a raving lunatic, struggling with all his might to be free. Ororo assumed that Scott's body was stronger than Kurt or Magneto's, and would take longer to succumb to fatigue. She dampened the cloth and gingerly brushed the damp hair away from Kurt's face. At first he made no sign that he even knew she was there, but he struggled to focus his gaze and look into her concerned eyes.  
  
"Goddess..." he whispered, his lips dry and cracked. She hushed him and placed the wet cloth to his mouth. His eyes closed for a moment, before he tried to speak again. "Ich bin traurig..." he said breathlessly. She reached out a tentive hand to brush his cheek. It was so hot she drew her fingers back quickly in pain.   
  
He reached out a shaking, three fingered hand to gently hold her fingers. She looked at him saddly. She had a strange urge to scream and yell and kill the man who did this to him. Except he was already dead. He took her hand into both of his and tried to squeeze them comfortingly, but he didn't have the strength. Suddenly his half closed eyes snapped open, no longer glazed. There were bright burning red, like flames. Ororo quickly snapped her hand from his grasp and took a step away from the bed. The mutant who'd seemed so frail only a moment before was now filled with energy. He began to yank ruthlessley at his restraints, throwing all his weight upwards. Blue smoke was appearing around his form like a cloak as he tried to teleport. Ororo leaned foward a bit.  
  
"Kurt, listen to me. You have to calm down. Remember where you are. You're at Xavior's school, you're safe here." His eyes flew wildly around the room, his fangs bared in an animal-like snarl. His tail was suddenly free from under his body, and it swung up faster than a whip. The sharp edge of his pointed tail lashed across Storm's face, causing her to cry out in pain and stumble back. Her hand came back red with blood as she clutched at her face. Kurt's violent struggle intensified, untill finally his bonds snapped. He leapt from the bed like a shot, hitting the door feet first and blowing it outwards in a blast of splinters. Ororo ran after him. As she reached the door, she heard a loud 'bamf', and all that was left in the hallway was a puff of blue smoke.  
  
"Oh my god..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A little girl was sitting next to her mother, watching the trees fly past the train's window. Her mother sat silently reading a magazine. The girl swung her short legs that didn't even reach the floor, clutching her flowered hat. She looked all around the car, at the other adults. Some were sipping styrofoam cups of coffee, some were reading newspapers, some just sat quietly looking out the window. The girl gasped a bit when she spotted a pair of red eyes peering at her from a dark shadow at the other end of the car. She blinked and rubbed her eyes clumsily, and when she looked again the eyes were gone.   
  
"Mommy..." the little girl said in a high pitched voice.  
  
"Not now honey, mommy's reading" her mother said distractedly.  
  
"But mommy, I saw a monster..." she whinned, gripping her mother's blouse. The woman put down her magazine with a sigh.  
  
"Now Jessy, what did I tell you..." At that moment, Nightcrawler appeared in a puff of blue smoke, perched on the back of the seat in front of the woman, hissing visciously, tail lashing.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" the woman screamed bloody murder, clutching her daughter and throwing herself away from the mutant. The other occupants of the car began to scream and rush for the exits, even though there was no where to go. He grinned wickedly, running his tounge over his razor sharp teeth. He couldn't think, all he knew was that he wanted chaos, he wanted to chase these humans and make them scream...  
  
He teleported into every car on the train, causing panic and fear. By the time the conductor had heard that there was a mutant attacking people, he was already pulling into Grand Central Station.  
  
The security guards were dispatched to the incomming train. They circled around the platform like a well trained pack of hunting dogs, guns ready and aimed at the exits. An announcement was made over the train's PA system.  
  
"Attention please. Ladies and gentleman, we are going into a lockdown. This is not a dril. Please remain in your cars and do not go onto the unloading platform. Please remain calm."   
  
The cops stood poised, as a strange hush came over the platform. Then in a puff of smoke, one cop was knocked uncoscious. In another puff, a cop was yanked off the ground and fell 15 feet to the concrete below. One man watching from his window yelled in a frightened voice "It's the mutant from the white house attack!" This caused even more people to panic and try to push their way off the train, unsure weither or not the mutant was inside the train or not.   
  
Kurt knocked out every officer in a matter of minutes, teleporting from one spot to the next in the blink of an eye. He moved so fast, none of them were even able to shoot their guns. He appeared and disapeared with superhuman speed, throwing punches and kicks out everywhere. He stood amoung the fallen cops, breathing heavily. For a moment, he looked at the horrified passangers watching from the train, and a pang of some memory flashed through his mind. He felt...guilt. Sorrow. Saddness, confusion. But the memory blinked away, replaced again with the lust for blood. His eyes flashed and he grinned wickedly, turning his attention to the stairs that led up to the main area of Grand Central Station. He could hear thousands of feet overhead, busy people going about their lives. He was itching to attack, yearning to pounce on some helpless human...In a flash of smoke he disapeared.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I really didn't want to stop here, but I'm so so tired, and I need to go to bed. For some reason, it didn't come out quite as good as i'd hoped, but I hope you enjoyed it! What Kurt says in German is 'I'm sorry', I don't know if it's correct german or not, but I don't speak german, so please don't be mad if it's wrong. Please please please review, and I'll do my best to get chapter 7 out tomorow. Thanks to all my readers, your reviews absolutely make my day~~~~~!! 


	7. Chapter Seven: The Rescue

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE RESCUE  
  
Nightcrawler teleported into a nitch in the wall, out of sight of the hundreds of people milling about. The vaulted ceiling was painted like a cathedral, but he paid no attention to it. Once, it would have made him stop and gasp in happiness, but now all he could see were the pathetic humans, so ignorant of his presence. So helpless, so weak. Over across the giant foyer of Grand Central Station was a large mass of people, holding up signs and shouting. A few news cameras were trained on them, and Kurt could barely hear the anchorwoman saying something about 'mutant protest'.   
  
He grinned wickedly as he heard those words. Humans who didn't like mutants. What a chance to cause some panic and fear. His teeth were clenched as he teleported closer to the group, still unseen by the crowd.   
  
An older man in a red shirt was standing on a wooden box, shouting and waving a hand-made sign that read 'Save our species ~ Mutant registration act!' Kurt shook his head slowly in mock sorrow. Foolish man, drawing so much attention to himself. The newslady stood in front of the camera's light, motioning to the man and explaining the positive aspects of the mutant registration act. Kurt disapeared with a soft 'bamf', reapearing directly in front of the man on the box. The man froze with shock, eye to eye with a demon. The rest of the protesters stopped suddenly, as did the anchorwoman. Kurt sneered for a split second, before l  
  
lunging at the man's throat. Chaos erupted as people began to run as far away from the attack scene as possible. Kurt began to teleport out-of-control, appearing in front of one panicked person, grabbing them, and throwing them backwards before disapearing again. It was a seething mass of bodies, people were being trampled in the confusion. The police had been called minutes before, and were now trying to push their way into the building through the wave of people. Screams reverberated off the walls, some yelling for their loved ones, others trying to find out what was happening. Kurt teleported from the ceiling to the floor, knocking people aside, kicking their legs out from under them, his razor tail lashing arms and faces.   
  
All of a sudden he stopped in mid-throw, holding a terrified flailing man three feet off the floor. His hands released their tight grip on his coat, and the man fell to the floor with a 'thud'. Kurt shivered involuntarily, sinking to his knees. The man he'd dropped held one hand to his bleeding forehead while crawling away as fast as he could manage. Kurt's eyes began to morph, a gold color bleeding from his pupils and covering over the red. He gasped, but air wasn't filling into his lungs. His face began to burn, and he could feel every muscle in his body go limp as he fell face-down on the cold marble floor.  
  
By now, the police were almost through the rush of people, and they quickly surounded the fallen mutant. Kurt couldn't concentrate, all he could hear were shouts and sobs and screaming all around him, swirling figures grabbing at him...  
  
One of the officers kicked him in the ribs, causing him to give a weak shout of pain. The officers drew out their batons and began to pummel his body mercilessly. Kurt weakly wrapped his three-fingered hands over his face, tears of pain squeezing out of his tightly shut eyes. The officers were relentless, twelve of them all around, beating him across the shoulders and back, asumming he would jump up and attack again.  
  
"Es tut mir leid..." he tried to gasp out. He had no idea where he was, he didn't know what was happening, all he felt was pain. One of the officers grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and put a knee onto his back to hold him down. A pair of handcuffs were clamped around his wrists, tight enough to cut off the circulation. The officer grimaced as he saw Kurt's mutated hands, and rolled him over harshly onto his back. Kurt's vision swam as he tried to get breath, there was pressure building in his chest, and shooting pain everywhere. The officer took a step back when he saw Kurt's face.  
  
"What the hell...?" Without warning, all of the windows high around the room exploded with a clap of thunder. A dust storm of fericous fury erupted out of nothing, whipping papers and dust into the eyes of the officers. The room got freezing cold, as Ororo floated through one of the smashed windows, her hair flying wildly, her eyes pure white and fury-filled. Hail rocketed down, the size of golf balls, pummeling the cops. Storm floated over towards Kurt, before her feet touched the ground lightly as a feather. Her eyes cleared, and she kneeled down next to his fallen form.   
  
"Oh Kurt...my god, what happened?" He turned to her weakly, blood trickling out of his mouth, his face begining to bruise. She placed a white-gloved hand on his forehead gingerly. His eyes closed at her touch, and his head fell back gently into her lap. The cops had fled to saftey, but were slowly inching towards the two mutants on the floor. Ororo couldn't stop the tears from escaping her eyes as she stroked his head comfortingly. One of the officers drew his gun cautiously.  
  
"Ma'am...back away from the mutant and put your hands where we can see them.." he said slowly. Ororo paid them no mind, her eyes never leaving Kurt's face.  
  
"Ma'am...if you don't comply, we'll have to use force. Please just come quietly, and we won't have to hurt you..." Storm's head snapped up as if she'd been slapped. She stood up in one fluid motion, causing the officers to stop in their tracks. Her eyes were white as she glared at them angrily.   
  
"You won't have to hurt me? Like you didn't have to hurt him?" she guestured to Kurt's motionless form, striding foward.   
  
The cop cocked his handgun, stepping backwards. "We don't want any trouble. That mutant just tried to kill everyone in this station."  
  
Ororo laughed harshly. "He was laying on the ground when you got here. I don't see that as very threatening." The officer glanced at his partners.  
  
"Call in back up..." he said quietly, his gun still pointed at Ororo's chest. She narrowed her eyes, and a gust of wind arose in the empty station. It grew in intensity, untill all of the cops were shielding their eyes. They slid backwards, untill they were blown out onto the street, falling backwards down the stairs. The double doors flew shut and bolted.  
  
Ororo turned and ran back over to Kurt, who hadn't moved. Fearing the worst, she placed two fingers on his neck to search for a pulse. She almost cried with joy when she found it, faint and weak, but there. She reached out and picked up his hand, squeezing it tightly.  
  
"Hold on, Logan's comming with the jet. We'll get you home, where you'll be safe. Kurt, you've got to hold on...I need you..."  
  
She placed her forehead onto his chest and finally let the tears come, flowing freely down her cheeks onto his torn coat. She didn't know how they'd ever find the scientist in time, it all seemed so hopeless. But she refused to lose hope. She straightened up. No, Kurt wouldn't lose hope. Neither could she. If there was any way to save him, then she'd fight through hell to get it. She placed his head in her lap, and strained to hear the faint sound of a jet engine approaching.   
  
~*~*~*~*~* Interesting, that didn't come out exactly like I'd planned, but I'm rather pleased. Again, he said 'I'm sorry' in German. PLEASE review, it will make me the happiest person in the WORLD! Or at least really really happy.Reviews=faster updates! I love you all! ^_^ Sorry this one was a bit shorter... 


	8. Chapter Eight: The Plan

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE PLAN  
  
The jet slowly descended, into the loading bay under the basketball court. With a short roar, the engines shut off, and it bumped to a stop. The open ceiling began to close over them, hiding the jet beneath a shield of concrete.  
  
The hatch door opened, and out jumped Logan, carying a very weak-looking Kurt in his massive arms. Ororo followed behind, her face set determinedly. Bobby and Rouge rushed to meet them, Charles Xavior sat in the doorway.   
  
"Oh my god, is he gonna be alright?" Rouge asked worridly, reaching Logan and seeing Kurt's unconsous form. Logan jogged past her, looking angry.  
  
"He went and got himself in one nice mess." Logan said gruffly, shifting Kurts weight and causing him to groan a tiny bit in pain. "He went physco-assassin in Grand Central station, and in front of news cameras, too. He almost killed a whole load of humans, before some cops beat the crap outta him." Ororo glared at Logan icily.  
  
"It wasn't his fault..." she said defensively. Logan grunted in response and lay Kurt down on a nearby cot, before trying long ropes of leather across his chest.  
  
"That outta hold him....damn, and I thought Scott would be the one givin' us hell." He remarked, watching as Kurt struggled to breath properly. Ororo rushed over to the sink to get some water as Professor Xavior wheeled behind Logan.  
  
"Scott's condition has gotten much, much worse." He said softly. Logan turned to meet his gaze, suspision in his eyes.  
  
"How much worse?" he said slowly. Xavior looked down with a look of saddness.  
  
"So much worse that he may not survive the night." He responded. A loud crash was heard as the bowl of water Ororo had been holding slipped from her hands.  
  
Xavior took a deep breath. "Eric is not dong any better. Right now machines are keeping him alive. And it seems that the illness is rapidly progressing in Kurt, too." He said, looking over at the blue mutant who was coughing forcefully. At that moment Mystique came in, her eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"You're just going to let him die?" She demanded. Xavoir turned to her, startled.  
  
"Mystique, we're doing all we can..." he began softly.  
  
"No you're not!" she said, he multi-toned voice rising. "You want him to die, and you're going to let him die in that shed like an animal..." Logan spun around in one swift motion, pinning Mystique against the metal wall. She froze in mid shout, too shocked to speak.  
  
"You think if we could do something, Kurt would be lying there dying? Or Scott? You think we like this? You think we'd let our friends slowly rot to death inside?!" He shouted, mere inches from her face. Rogue stepped cautiously foward.  
  
"Logan..."  
  
To Logan's greatest surprise, Mystique's look of vivid fury melted from her face. She cast her eyes down and bit her lip violently, hard enough to draw blood.   
  
"You're right." she stated quietly. "I know you wouldn't let him die. Charles's morals are too high. I just..." she began, her voice breaking. She shook her head, as if trying to drive something from her mind. She shoved Logan away from her suddenly and wrapped her arms around her blue body tightly. Logan took a step back, sighing. She gathered her composure and turned to face the Professor.   
  
"There has to be something we can do." she said flatly. Charles nodded.  
  
"Obviouslt they won't survive if we don't get the antidote. And I don't think we have any more time for hesitation.We must leave immediately. And I think we need to bring those three with us." He said, motioning to Kurt.  
  
"They can't travel like this, Professor. How are we going to control their powers?" Ororo questioned. "Especially Magneto. We can blindfold Scott, and you can put a physic shielf on Kurt...but the jet's made of metal." Mystique cleared her throat.  
  
"I don't think....I don't think Eric will be a problem. He's not as strong as he was ten years ago...he hasn't lost control of his powers since I brought him here. He's too weak." She said firmly. Storm looked down at Kurt from the corner of his eye, and gently reached a gloved hand up to the scratch across her cheek.  
  
"That's what I thought about Kurt..." Charles interupted quietly.  
  
"We'll have to take that chance. Mystique, you go and make sure Eric is prepared to leave. Ororo, you and Bobby bring Kurt back into the jet. Logan, you go get Scott. Take Rogue with you, he might still lose control of his powers. I'll go inform the students."   
  
Ororo looked up from Kurt's side in surprise. "We're not going to have anyone stay to watch the children?" she asked incrediously. Charles just smiled.  
  
"I think they will be able to take care of themselves, at least for a night. I'll tell the oldest students that they're in charge." Ororo nodded quickly before gingerly untying Kurt's bonds. He struggled a bit as Bobby and Storm lifted him between them, then fell limp once again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, here come author appolgies: First, I'm really sorry this chapter is so stupidly short, but I'm going to update tomorow with the next chapter, which will be longer (God willing...) Second: I'm so so SO sorry it took so long to update!!! I've failed my readers! ::sobs:: But it's the end of the school year, and all the teachers SWAMP us with work. Finals are approaching, and I have so little spare time...ufortunately, I'll probably only be able to update once or twice a week, and probably weekends. I will do my very very best to update tomorow, 'cause I know what I'm going to do, and it's a pretty long chapter. Once summer starts, at the end of the month, I'll be writing ALOT more, and finishing this fic (if it's not done by then)  
  
And I've decided to write another fic this summer, most likely an x-men fic. And since I'm a huge Nightcrawler fangirl, it'll probably be centered around him. Or, if anyone is bored, I'm posting a short original story I wrote called 'Fractured' on FictionPress.net  
  
Anyway, please please review and forgive me!!!! 


	9. Chapter Nine: The Scientist

~*~*~*~ Hello, everyone. I know, I know. It's been about 6 months since I updated. *Looks at the ground ashamed* I am a bad author. I wrote a story, got lots of people to enjoy it, and then I just LEFT THEM, cliffhanger and all. I really feel very bad about this, seriously. I'm sure I've lost most of my readers. But...if you happen to come back, here's the new chapter. Would you like to know why I stopped writing it? Because my muse died. Yes, my muse. You see, once the movie got out of theaters, and I reached the point in my story that I'd planned up to, I had no clue what to write next! And it's been so long since I've seen the movie, I lost all inspiration.   
  
But now I will finish it. I will not stop writing it until it is done, and I will update regularly.   
  
I am so sorry. Please forgive me. And if you have it in your heart to review, I would love you forever. Not that I deserve reviews, but they are motivational. Thank you.  
  
CHAPTER NINE: THE SCIENTIST  
  
  
  
There were rows and rows of identical houses, lined up along a very unassuming street, none of them unique in any way. The jet glided silently through the pitch-blank night, it's special technology making it invisible to both human and computer eye alike. Ororo brought the jet closer to the ground, searching for number 48 Piviet Drive, and finally came upon it at the very end of the street. It was just a square box, nothing to look at twice. There were no decorations on the neat lawn, no signs of life at all, except for one light shining from the top window into the dark. Ororo manuvered the massive jet with ease, settling it down gently in the narrow backyard of the house, between a plain white fence and a towering oak tree.   
  
Logan shifted from his chair quickly, and without a word opened the port door and lept out. Rogue and Bobby sat in the back, between the cots which held Kurt, Scott, and Eric. Mystique sat next to Eric head, her slender blue hand wrapped around his large limp one. Scott shifted beneath his restraints every few seconds, but otherwise remained motionless, all of his earlier energy drained. His face was pale and moist, dampening the bandage wrapped around his eyes tightly. Kurt hadn't moved since his collapse at Grand Central, and the only thing keeping him from disapearing entirely was the physic shield Charles had placed around him. Kurt's tail hung limply off the side of the bed, and there was almost a cloud of blue smoke around his entire form. Rogue continued speaking quietly to him, encouraging him to listen to her voice and not teleport, but he made not notion that he could hear her.   
  
"Ororo, come with me. I'm sure Logan will be less than polite in meeting our scientist, if he hasn't knocked down the man's front door already. Mystique, Rogue, Bobby, I think you three should stay here and watch them." Charles said calmly, motioning to the three prone bodies. Mystique made a move to protest, but Charles stopped her with a raised hand.  
  
"I believe we are equipped to handle this, Mystique. Eric needs you more than us. Your presence may be the only thing keeping him alive..." Mystique shut her mouth and sat down, unconsciously holding Magneto's hand tighter and turning her gaze to his gaunt face.   
  
"Now. Let's go." He turned his chair and wheeled down the jet's ramp, followed closely by a determined looking Storm.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Listen here, bub, I don't think you're really in a position to be asking questions." Logan had a balding, 40-something year old man pressed against the wall, his feet dangling about 3 feet off the floor. The man looked at the intruder petrified, stuttering and shaking in shock. He had just been sitting at his computer screen when his door burst inwards in a shower of splinters, and an angry looking man with knives coming out of his hands lept in, grabbed the man, and demanded to know if he was Frank Cumingsworth. The man had answered yes breathlessly, as Logan then grabbed the small man by the collar and lifted him to his feet. Ororo stepped through the remains of the door, followed by Charles Xavier.  
  
"Logan! For god's sake, put him down!" She shouted upon seeing the terrified Mr. Cumingsworth hanging from Wolverine's grasp, one razor sharp claw pressed dangerously close to his neck. Logan gave a look of disgust and let the man drop, as Frank hit the floor with a soft `omph' and covered his head with his hands.   
  
"Please...take whatever you want, just don't kill me..." he said in a strangled voice from the floor. Storm glared at Logan, who just furrowed his brow and stared at the man's huddled form.  
  
"We ain't got time to be polite, Storm" he said with a growl. Charles wheeled next to the man and helped him to his feet. Mr. Cumingsworth just looked from one face to the other with a bewildered expression.   
  
"Who...w-who are you?" He said, cowering back slightly from Logan's intense stare. Charles cleared his throat.  
  
"We are the X-men. And we need your help."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I know it's short, but it's necessary, and I will get the next part up within 36 hours, maybe right away. I hope someone is still reading this...and again I'm so so so so sorry about not updating. Please review? ::Pleading:: 


	10. Chapter Ten: The Cure

CHAPTER TEN: THE CURE  
  
"The...the X-men?" Mr. Cumingsworth questioned. He looked to Storm, to Charles, and back to  
  
Logan's scowling face.   
  
"You're mutants!" he cried suddenly. Logan rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles.  
  
"Thanks for pointin' that out, bub." Charles held up his hand for silence.  
  
"We need your help, Mr. Cumingsworth, if you can give it to us. You see, it has come to our  
  
attention that you were an employee of the military base Alkali Lake. As I'm sure you're aware,  
  
the base has been destroyed. You were researching an antidote for a set of side-effects that  
  
resulted from one of the base's experimental weapons, a mind-control chemical. Am I correct  
  
thus far?" he asked calmly. Frank just stared open-mouthed and nodded silently. Charles took a  
  
breath.  
  
"I do not know if you were fully aware of the experiments going on at Alkali Lake. Not only  
  
were all of them illegal, they were inhuman." Charles stared at Frank, he seemed to be pausing to  
  
let this information sink in, when in reality he was searching Mr. Cumingsworth's mind for any  
  
information. Frank's eyes became unfocused, and he began to slump over. Charles quickly drew  
  
out, causing Frank to jerk up in surprise.  
  
"What were you doing?" he asked panicked. Charles looked apologetic as he folded his hands in  
  
his lap.   
  
"If you'll excuse me, I had to be sure you were someone we could trust. I read your thoughts, to  
  
be sure you were not an employee directly involved in any of the...happenings...at the base. Of  
  
course, you understand..." Frank had a confused look but simply nodded.  
  
"Now...we need to know anything you know about the antidote." he said sternly. Mr.  
  
Cumingsworth glanced at Logan once more, who gave a deep growl with his eyes narrowed.  
  
Frank gulped, and meekly replied "Follow me..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
He led them to the back of the house, which was itself as unassuming as could be. The kitchen  
  
had a few dirty dishes, some flowered curtains, and clean white linoleum. There were no photos  
  
around, in fact nothing of a particularly personal nature was anywhere. Mr. Cumingsworth led  
  
them down a narrow carpeted hallway, until they reached a plain brown door at the end. It could  
  
have been a closet, by the looks of it. Charles sat directly behind Frank as he fiddles with the  
  
knob for a few moments before it gave way. Instead of brooms and mops, there was a cement  
  
slope, leading down and down into blackness.   
  
"This goes to the laboratory" Frank explained, as a cool breeze wafted from the blackness,  
  
stirring Storm's white hair and making goose bumps rise on her arms. She glanced around,  
  
locking eyes with Logan, who gave her a knowing look. He was unsettled, too.   
  
"You see, when Alkali Base hired me, I was just a chemical engineer starting my career. They  
  
bought me this house, and had the laboratory installed in the basement, for maximum security. I  
  
was never told all the details about the base, just that they were a branch of the government that  
  
specialized in weapons of defense. I was sworn to secrecy, and was told to keep a low profile  
  
while I worked on this one specific project." He looked at Charles, almost pleading.  
  
"I swear I had no idea that what they were doing was illegal, you have to believe me.." Charles  
  
interrupted him.  
  
"We believe what you say, Mr. Cumingsworth, please continue." Frank nodded, looking a bit  
  
less anxious.  
  
"Well, I was given all the data I needed to begin working. They were looking for an antidote for  
  
one of their experiments, a mind control substance they were in the hypothetical stages of  
  
creating for use in terrorist interrogations." Logan snorted loudly, a scowl on his face.  
  
"Yeah, hypothetical stages, that's what they were doing..." Storm looked at him angrily, and he  
  
fell silent, glaring at the floor. Frank looked confused.  
  
"You don't mean...they hadn't actually been making a mind-control substance, had they? Then  
  
that means that all my data was..."  
  
"Yes, all of it was actual data they gathered, when they tested their chemicals on subjects."  
  
Charles said gravely.  
  
"So then...when they told me to assume that hypothetical test subjects had died..." Storm bit her  
  
lip hard. Her mind kept wandering back to the jet, where she knew Kurt and Scott lay dying. She  
  
felt as if her heart were being ripped from her chest. Charles just nodded again.  
  
"Yes. They had actual test subjects that died. Both human and mutant alike." Frank looked as if  
  
he'd been slapped.   
  
"My god...if I had known, I might've been able to..." Charles just shook his head, causing Frank  
  
to fall silent.  
  
"I understand that this is upsetting, but we are wasting valuable minutes. We have three persons  
  
in dire need of that antidote, if it exists. Now can you help us?" Logan stared at Mr.  
  
Cumingsworth, silently daring him to refuse. But Frank was already turning to walk down the  
  
ramp.  
  
"Come with me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Mr. Cumingsworth sat at a huge computer monitor, with a screen as large as a wall. Numbers  
  
were flashing across the screen at an amazing speed, while Frank's fingers fairly flew across a  
  
small black keyboard. Charles sat to his right, Storm stood watching the screen to his left, and  
  
Logan stood behind them, glancing around the room every few seconds. The room was  
  
windowless and large, and nearly all stainless steel and concrete. There were spotless tables and  
  
counters covered with nameless science tools, and humming and beeping machines in every  
  
corner, each larger than Mr. Cumingsworth. Papers were scattered around the room, placed on  
  
every available surface, along with opened books and computer printouts. Mr. Cumingsworth  
  
seemed oblivious to the disorder, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he  
  
skittered around the room, gathering various papers into his arms and placing them next to his  
  
chair at the computer. Finally he paused, and the cease of the tapping of keys made Logan look  
  
back. Frank was rubbing his forehead, a concerned expression on his face as he studied the  
  
screen. Charles' face was expressionless and calm, and Storm had the same look of concentration  
  
as Mr. Cumingsworth as she too read the screen.  
  
"Well, what does it say?" Logan finally questioned impatiently after a few moments. Frank spun  
  
his chair to face the three. His earlier meek appearance had been replaced by one of  
  
determination.  
  
"My last transaction with the base was an experimental antidote formula, but I don't believe they  
  
got a chance to actually test it before the disaster. It's purely hypothetical, of course, but it's all  
  
we've got to go on. I've got most of the ingredients here in the lab..." he stood quickly and began  
  
to rummage through a metal cabinet filled with small jars and metal boxes. After a few minutes  
  
he turned back around, arms filled with vials. He let them clatter onto one of the metal tables.  
  
"I've got almost everything. I can made the antidote here. But not until I get the last two things."  
  
He looked up to Charles.  
  
"Both of them are illegal, I'd need a special permit to obtain even a tiny sample, and even then  
  
it'd take months, maybe a year." Logan grit his teeth.  
  
"God damn it, we don't GOT a year! They're dying RIGHT NOW!" He spun around and began  
  
to pace the room like a caged animal. Charles looked after him for a moment before returning his  
  
gaze to Frank, who looked helpless.   
  
"If we could get these two substances, would you be able to make the antidote?" Frank mopped  
  
his brow, very nervous.  
  
"They're both highly radioactive, dangerous, and rare. But if you could get some...then yes, I  
  
could make it." He furrowed his brow. "But how could you get it? The only place I know where  
  
it's stored is in a top-secret laboratory somewhere in Washington D.C. The only people in the US  
  
who have it are the scientists working for the military. Plutonium and Uranium don't just turn up  
  
at your local grocery store. And there's no way they would ever allow anyone to take any..."  
  
Frank stopped, his eyes grew wide with realization.  
  
"You...you can't be planning to steal it, can you? There's no way! It's probably one of the most  
  
secure areas in the world!" Logan turned around, a small smirk on his face.   
  
"We've got our ways with handlin' secure areas. You do your job, we'll do ours." Charles  
  
nodded and turned his chair to leave.  
  
"You won't hurt anyone, will you?" Frank called after them. Storm turned and gave him a small,  
  
sad smile.  
  
"We'll do our best, I promise. Just...please, get the antidote made for us. These are our friends  
  
who are dying." Frank returned her sad smile weakly.   
  
"I'll do my best, too."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated! It actually took awhile to choose where I  
  
wanted the story to go next, and I thought this sounded pretty good. In the next chapters, look for  
  
more about Kurt/Scott/Eric and their conditions, and coming soon: a battle! Woo-hoo! Not too  
  
sure when the next part will be up, maybe tomorrow afternoon or sometime Wednesday. Thanks  
  
for reading!! Review! 


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